In 1998, the Courtauld Gallery, in London, received an anonymous phone call claiming that 11 drawings in its collection were fakes created by the notorious British forger Eric Hebborn (1934–96). Since then, the Courtauld’s drawings cataloguer, Rachel Hapoienu, has done extensive research into each of these works. By tracing their ownership history, Hapoienu established that six of the drawings were done before Hebborn was even born.
“It got me to thinking about forgers and their mindset,” Hapoienu told me recently. “Why would someone claim that these are forgeries? And what other works do we have in our collection that are not by who they claimed to be?” The exhibition “Art and Artifice: Fakes from the Collection,” which runs at the Courtauld from June 17 to October 8, aims to provide some answers. Co-curated by Hapoienu and the Courtauld’s curator of paintings, Karen Serres, the show features around 25 drawings, seven paintings, sculpture, and decorative art.
